Ebay aluminum radiator for miata

[Silvernb03]

Hi, my radiator is cracked today. I heard many people are happy with their ebay aluminum radiator. Can you please send me a link or which one i should buy? Thanks

[Silvernb03]

I have 400 to spend, and i car still n/a. Should i go with koyo radiator or just ebay one?

[— Grip Driver —]

I didn't want to risk it and bought a Koyo. If there is one thing I hate doing is doing the same job twice because I cheaped out on parts. I've learned my lesson the hard way several times.

http://www.good-win-racing.com/Mazda.../Radiator.html

[ibid]

Some of the other forums have mixed reviews about the cheap ebay one... It seems the quality control isn't spot-on like with Koyo, Griffin or SpringField Dyno (the well known brands).

I've had fantastic results with KOYO and now Griffin FWIW (never had deep enough pockets for the springfield dyno one though)

[WASABI]

You are sure to get a lot of answers, from everyone that want "Best in Class" (koyo $$$) to "Fit For Purpose" (eBay special $).

I bought an aluminum OBX radiator (inexpensive), and it's been great!!! Almost works too well. It's got a larger capacity, while it's great in the Summer, in the cooler Fall days, I find that I needed to cover a portion radiator with cardboard to get heat in the cabin. I love the look and quality... and saving a couple hundred bucks!



Looks like the OBX has gone up a little. I bough mine in 2011 for $179.00, but now I see them up to $205.00.

Here's another one that looks good.



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mazda-MX5-Mi...3D181337329556

[SM16RMSM]

Go cheap then go home broken again. Mishimoto and eBay are crap. They tend is spring a leak every now and then. Most hate them but usually don't say anything. They just replace it. The welds suck since they are made so cheap. Think of Chineese made but worse. Best bet would to buy a OEM Koyo unit from Mazda or Goodwin Racing. If you want it to last a bit longer, go with a Koyo all aluminum unit. You can get a kit from Goodwin and it has the 37mm Koyo with hoses and radiator cap for $429 right now from his site.


Also a word of advice from someone who sold aftermarket radiators, replace the thermostat while your at it. If it stuck, this would be the time to go ahead and get it done. A stuck thermostat can/would cause end tanks to crack or separate from the core so might as well replace it if your there.

I'm running a Mizu Radiator. It very thick, roughly the same size as 55mm Koyo units. I've been driving with it for about 6 months and all is good. They also offer a lifetime warranty. You get get one from Goodwin Racing for $240. That was the old price and they about 350 now. Brian must have a few in stock from the old price so I would give him a call about it.

[BoBo]

Radiators in general are a mix topic. Koyo is the general brand that everyone wants. However, from my experience all aluminum rads are a hit or miss type of purchase. Everyone wants a 37mm stock for best fitment, but unless you track the car your probably wasting your money on all aluminum koyo. Aluminum radiators with plastic tanks are probably your best bet in terms of longevity because there is more leeway on the flex but make sure you buy a good brand. Of course after many years the plastic core will turn brown and crack. Aluminum has better cooling ability but I had Koyo's before that went out after 1-2 years on my previous cars, and I'm down $300 instead of $100 for the plastic tanks. Ebay all aluminum are a hit or miss type of deal as well in term of fitment and longevity. What I want is the solid brass/copper radiators. Those are a bit heavy & hard to find however, they last for many years easy. My next rad might be an all aluminum but only because I'm planning on boosting and tracking the car, I'm still on the factory rad. Buy at your own risk OP.

[ibid]

My 2nd Spec Miata had a Griffin (sp?) that came with it (1st one had a Koyo Race 55mm that never let me down)... I 'broke' the griffin doing a 'jump' landing hard at Grattan (self inflicted wound) and nice thing about all aluminum, you can get them welded up again, then pressure tested to be sure it works fine (what I did instead of buying a koyo 55mm again)

[— Phatmiata —]

If you don't plan to keep the car very long, or just don't have the funds available at the moment, maybe just get the eBay one. However if you are planning to keep the car for a while, I look into the Koyo version. I will also say it's totally up to you, so do you homework on your purchases. You can also put in a call to a local radiator supplier (look in the phone book) sometimes the aftermarket ones are a great bargain. The OEM one will just crack again (plastic top is the most common spot) and I got an aftermarket one from a local radiator shop for $89, solid metal, but I was a broke college student at the time so that was all I could afford. But it worked!!

[—atank—]

X2 on the OBX, and Jim, I love your clean engine bay...............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are sure to get a lot of answers, from everyone that want "Best in Class" (koyo $$$) to "Fit For Purpose" (eBay special $).

I bought an aluminum OBX radiator (inexpensive), and it's been great!!! Almost works too well. It's got a larger capacity, while it's great in the Summer, in the cooler Fall days, I find that I needed to cover a portion radiator with cardboard to get heat in the cabin. I love the look and quality... and saving a couple hundred bucks!



Looks like the OBX has gone up a little. I bough mine in 2011 for $179.00, but now I see them up to $205.00.

Here's another one that looks good.



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mazda-MX5-Mi...3D181337329556

[Silvernb03]

Thanks for reply everybody. I just bought koyo from goodwin. Hopefully it will be a good purchase

[BoBo]

^ Let us know how it goes after a while with the Koyo, I might get one before I boost my car.

[Silvernb03]

I have never had any aluminum before, so I can't compare with other brands. However, It looks really quality, I really like the look of it after installed. It adds extra bling factor to my engine bay lol.
Tip for installing: when you take your old radiator out, You have to move ac condensor to the opposite side of the bracket. ortherwise, the radiator brackets will not line up. I learned it the hard way though.

[gsyk59]

I've got a 37mm Koyo and dual Mishimoto fans on my 2001. Fitment was perfect - these really are plug and play radiators. I made up a couple quick connectors for the new fans so they would plug into e old harness without having to cut any factory connects off - if you don't care about that, 4 wire connectors and some crimping pliers will get the job done in about 5 minutes. With this setup, my temps on the tracks in Texas summers are a non-issue.

[psulja]

I'll be running the $137 ebay radiator this year on my turbo miata mostly because i need to do some cutting and welding of the upper water neck. I didn't want to cut up a $300+ radiator on my first attempt of making things work with how tight things are in my engine back with the intercooler piping, thicker rad, and coolant reroute. If the rad leaks after I get it in I'll likely go with a more expensive one the next time around since I'll already know exactly how I need to modify it, but I've heard good things so far about the cheap ebay rads to make me feel comfortable enough running it on the boosted car.